Four-year marks Joel Pett, Joel Pett is the Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist of the Lexington Herald-Leader. His work also appears in USA Today.

A new Crusade within the GOP Dan Gilgoff, DAN GILGOFF is a senior editor at U.S. News & World Report and the author of "The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America Are Winning the Culture War."

The upside to retiring down under Kelly Candaele, Kelly Candaele is a trustee of the Los Angeles City Employee Retirement System. He spoke recently at a pension fund conference in Sydney.

Development on the fly Cary Lowe and William Cipes, CARY LOWE, a land-use attorney and urban planning consultant, has advised state and local government. WILLIAM CIPES is director of operations of the Transportation and Land Use Collaborative of Southern California.

Street gang realpolitik Will Beall, Will Beall is a Los Angeles police officer with the South Bureau gang homicide unit and the author of the novel "L.A. Rex."

What's not to like about Libertarianism? Brian Doherty, BRIAN DOHERTY is a senior editor at Reason magazine and the author of "Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement."

A colossal fish story Susan Salter Reynolds, susan.reynolds@latimes.com Susan Salter Reynolds is a staff writer for The Times.

Going native Jim Ruland, Jim Ruland, who works in an Indian casino, is the author of the short story collection "Big Lonesome."

Conquering concubine Seth Faison, Seth Faison, a former China correspondent for the New York Times, is the author of "South of the Clouds: Exploring the Hidden Realms of China."

Wild beginnings Jon Meacham, Jon Meacham, the editor of Newsweek, is the author of "American Gospel" and "Franklin and Winston."

Hearts and minds Donna Rifkind, Donna Rifkind's reviews have appeared in a number of publications, including the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal.

The unmade man Richard Zimler, Richard Zimler is the author of several novels, including "The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon," "Hunting Midnight" and, most recently, "Guardian of the Dawn," which has been a bestseller in Portugal, where he makes his home.

Pockets of self-discovery Emily Rapp, Emily Rapp is the author of "Poster Child: A Memoir." She is a faculty member in the MFA in Creative Writing Program at Antioch University Los Angeles.

Sinners, beware Richard Rayner, Richard Rayner is the author of several books, most recently the novel "The Devil's Wind."